This course provides a broad overview of the comparative politics subfield by focusing on important substantive questions about the world today. The course is organized around four questions. First, why can only some people depend upon the state to enforce order? Second, how can we account for the differences between autocracies and democracies? Third, what different institutional forms does democratic government take? Finally, are some institutions more likely than others to produce desirable social outcomes such as accountability, redistribution, and political stability?
This is the required discussion section for POLS UN1501.
NOTE: apply through Barnard Political Science department (https://polisci.barnard.edu/course-requirements#colloquia-2)
What do women need in order to thrive? Is it becoming a “girl boss”? Moving to a rich nation? Getting a loan? The opening of a new multinational factory in their town? Stricter laws punishing people who try to harm them? Removing their veil?
This course examines the way transnational feminists challenge the limitations of so-called “white feminism”; make sense of intersecting oppressions; and propose transformative solutions to many feminist concerns. From a variety of global perspectives, we will explore topics including: electoral politics, sex work, borders, religion, land, abortion, domestic labor, and more.
Our readings this semester focus on revolutionary feminist thinkers from across the globe who insist that in order to understand women’s lives—and properly diagnose what might remedy the harms they experience—we must root our inquiries at the heart of institutional overlap, or intersectionality. In other words, how do women’s race, class, gender, sexuality, nationality and more, shape their experiences of the world and their understanding of the transformations necessary to make them not only safe, but also free?
Apply through department (https://polisci.barnard.edu/course-requirements#colloquia-2).
Thinkers in the Marxist tradition have grappled with topics as varied as colonialism, gender, race, art, sex, psychology, economics, medicine, ecology, and countless other issues. As such, this course makes no claim of being exhaustive; rather, it seeks to achieve three modest goals: to acquaint students with some key concepts in Marx’s sizable oeuvre, to familiarize students with some of the core debates of the field, and to demonstrate how of Marxist thought can help us make sense of some of today’s most pressing political issues, focusing particularly on Marxist analyses of climate crisis, and race and gender inequities.
Prerequisites: POLS V1501 or POLS V1601 or the equivalent. Admission by application through the Barnard department only. Enrollment limited to 16 students. Barnard syllabus. Examination of causes and consequences of major current problems in international security. Topics will focus on state power dynamics: the rise of China and the reemergence of the Russian military, challenges facing NATO with the rise of populism and authoritarianism in the West, nuclear deterrence and proliferation, cyber conflict and information war, and chemical and biological weapons.
In this course, we will examine the relationship between government and the governed in the United States. To what extent and under what circumstances do elected officials consider public preferences in making policy? To what extent and under what circumstances might we want them to? What kind of power should the public have in American democracy? Thinking about the second and third, more normative questions leads us to other empirical questions. What shapes public preferences? How well can we measure them? How much do people know and care about politics? How do they evaluate their representatives? What constitutes high quality representation? We will examine these kinds of questions broadly, and also consider how they play out in particular policy areas and historical moments. We will also discuss the dynamics of public opinion across population subgroups (e.g. by race, sex, income, party, urbanity, etc.), and questions surrounding representation at the group level. In addition to engaging scholarly literature on public opinion and representation, students will also learn to access, manage, and analyze data measuring the composition of the public (e.g. the U.S. Census) as well as public views on political candidates, officeholders, institutions, and issues (e.g. survey data). These skills will help to prepare students for research projects in other courses and beyond Barnard. To balance the different aims of the course, our class time will be split between lecture, discussion, and hands-on lessons in a computer lab.
Since 2016, scholars and journalists alike have been paying more attention to “Working Class
Voters.” While these voters have always been an important bloc within the American political
system, recent events underscore the need to understand the political behavior of a broad swath
of the voting public. Similarly, American political life is increasingly polarized by place, with
Republicans concentrated in rural areas and Democrats in urban ones. Class and place are
therefore essential variables for understanding modern American politics.
In this course—which is taught by an instructor from a rural, working-class background—we
will examine the identity, opinions, behavior and power of the American working class. We will
also consider the role of place in shaping American politics. We will employ sources from
several social sciences, including political science, sociology, and economics. Along the way, we
will consider several important questions about working class politics within the context of
broader topics in these fields: Identity formation, parties, race, elections, and public opinion, to
name a few.
Prerequisites: POLS W1201 or an equivalent. Not an introductory course. Not open to students who have taken the colloquium POLS BC3302. Examines the first amendment rights of speech, press, religion and assembly. In-depth analysis of landmark Supreme Court rulings provides the basis for exploring theoretical antecedents as well as contemporary applications of such doctrines as freedom of association, libel, symbolic speech, obscenity, hate speech, political speech, commercial speech, freedom of the press and religion. (Cross-listed by the American Studies Program.)
This is the required discussion section for POLS-BC3254
This is the required discussion section for POLS-BC3254
#Prideparade #Stonewall #Pulse #Loveislove #Voguging
Beyond Stonewall: The Dynamics of Queer Politics will examine the role of queer politics in the United States and beyond. This class will briefly introduce students to queer theory and the politics of collective action and then follow a case study approach to analyze the dynamics of queer politics. This class will start with the Homophile Movement and will end with contemporary discourses on Queer Activism. Therefore, this course will examine gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender struggles for security and equality..
Who determines American foreign policy? How does the CNN Effect impact
choices in American foreign policy? This course seeks to answer those questions by
focusing on how domestic politics can influence American foreign policy decisions. The
Domestic Reality of American Foreign Policy will examine how formal and informal
political actors affect the foreign policy process. The course will briefly review the
determinants of American Foreign Policy, such as the role theory, external sources, and
psychological and societal sources.
This course will place a premium on the outer concentric circle of the American
foreign policy process by examining how informal political actors can influence foreign
policy decisions, such as the mass media, interest groups, and public opinion polls can
sway presidential decisions regarding foreign policy issues. The course will rely on
using the garage can model to critically analyze how foreign policy decisions are
decided that require public support. Moreover, this course will examine broad topics,
including how internal matters in the United States, such as racial unrest, queer social
movements, and other domestic considerations, can impact American foreign policy
issues.
In this course, we will examine how notions of sex and gender have shaped public policies, and how public policies have affected the social, economic, and political citizenship of men and women in the United States over time.
Prerequisites: At least sophomore standing recommended.
Corequisites: Computer Lab: TBD (50 minutes per week). Enrollment limited to 40 students: "L" sign-up through
eBear
.
Not an introductory-level course.
Barnard syllabus.
The course introduces students to the systematic study of political phenomena. Students will learn how to develop research questions and executable research designs. Then, taking an applied approach, students learn basic statistical and case study techniques for evaluating evidence and making empirical claims. No prior experience with statistics is assumed.
This is the required discussion section for POLS-UN3706
Prerequisites: None formally; instructor may recommend introductory or advanced course in their subfield For joint Faculty-Student research on a deisgnated topic of the instructor's choice. Students will critically engage with scholarly debates, formulate research designs, analyze or interpret data, and learn to summarize and present findings. Apply directly to the instructor. Can be taken once for elective credit toward the major.
Welcome to “International Relations of COVID-19.” The onset of the global COVID-19 pandemic has sent political shockwaves around the world, affecting almost every aspect of international political life. From how countries cooperate with one another to redefining what constitutes national security, to recasting pressures for globalization and de-globalization, the world as we knew it prior to February 2020 appears to be dramatically changing. At the same time, scholars and policymakers are increasingly divided about how to understand and respond to many of these challenges. Is the COVID era truly new or will it actually accelerate recent trends in international politics and global governance? What are the similarities between this pandemic and previous global health crises and what lessons should we draw for managing international order? What are the implications for US leadership, and broad perceptions about the erosion of the US-led liberal world order, and how have strategic competitors like China dealt with the crisis globally? Finally, what are the tools, resources and networks available to researchers and policy makers interested in making more evidence-based assessments about international public policy? What are the challenges?
The intensive nature of this colloquium is reflected in two ways- preparation and focus. First, the course carries a substantial reading load designed to inform and prepare students for each course session. These assignments will mostly be academic readings, but may also include podcasts, news articles, and digital archival materials. New materials and resources dealing with the course topic are added daily and may be added to the syllabus, so please check the Courseworks syllabus before each meeting for the current assignments. Importantly, our class lectures, group activities and individual assignments will build upon, not review, the assigned materials for the session.
Second, the remote nature of the course will require active listening and focus. Each session typically will be split into 2 segments, roughly of 55-60 minutes each. Many of these segments will feature guest lecturers or experts who will give 25-30 mins presentations on their topic and then field questions. During our limited time for Q&A students should ask single, concise questions.